Hydrogen car an alternative to the alternative

By Clare Dear, Postmedia News

Originally published: October 27, 2011

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Mabuk, South Korea – Hybrids and electric vehicles are big news in the car business, but some experts say these technologies are not the complete answer in the search for ways to wean the world off non-renewable resources. For example, Sae Hoon Kim says there is no silver bullet that will solve our future transportation needs. Although, as senior research engineer at Hyundai’s environmental research and development centre, he works on a wide range of alternatives — including pure electric vehicles, hybrids, plug-ins, bio-fuels and low-CO2-emitting gasoline engines — his true passion is the hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).

Future vehicles will require a portfolio of powertrains to meet the needs of a mobile world, Kim says. Pure electric vehicles, for example, work well in smaller vehicles where a short driving range is not an issue, such as daily commutes to work. However, where larger vehicles are required or greater distances are involved, EVs aren’t the answer, he says. Hydrogen fuel cell power, though, is a viable alternative in such situations.

Hyundai is on schedule to put 100 FCEVs on the street this year. They are based on the Tucson compact SUV and feature the third generation of a fuel cell system Kim has been working on since 1998. Initially, an 80-kilowatt hydrogen cell system developed by UTC Power was installed in a Tucson, but, when Hyundai opened a new research and development facility here in 2006, the team was able to develop its own fuel cell system. A year later, a 100-kw Hyundai cell was installed in a Tucson — dubbed the FCEV-II — and a 200-kw system (composed of a pair of cell stacks) was developed to power a transit bus.

The FCEV-II had a 382-kilometre driving range, could accelerate to 100 kilometres an hour in 12 seconds and had a maximum speed of 155 km/h. The latest-generation Tucson, driven by a new alternating current motor, has a top speed of 160 km/h and a range of 650 km. It also uses a 21-kw lithium-polymer battery rather than the more costly super-capacitors used in the 2007 model.

I had a brief opportunity to drive the Tucson FCEV-II on a test track, and its performance was promising. Initial acceleration was strong and linear and reaching a brisk cruising speed seemed to be no problem. The only blip seemed to be acceleration for passing — with a planetary gear rather than a multi-speed transmission, stepping on the accelerator to simulate an overtaking manoeuvre felt more like stomping on a sponge.

Globally, there is considerably interest in FCEVs. Testing and development is now being done in several countries, including Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Germany and Denmark. In one test in Sweden in May, a Tucson FCEV was driven 341 km in 3.7 hours — and it still had hydrogen in its storage tank at the end of the run.

Hyundai plans to build a pilot or pre-production run of 2,000 vehicles between 2012 and 2014. The target for full commercial production is 2015 and beyond, with an initial capacity set at 10,000 FCEVs annually.

Range anxiety haunts some consumers contemplating an electric vehicle — and fuel cell vehicles have issues, too. Driving around with a tank of hydrogen in the trunk can make some folks wary, but Kim showed videos of tests his team conducted that should help allay those fears.

A Tucson FCEV was subjected to crash tests, including front, side and rear impacts, plus a rear 70%-offset crash at 80 km/h. The vehicle — and its hydrogen storage system — survived with no leaks. Another Tucson was set ablaze to test the stability of the hydrogen system. The tank survived 40 minutes of intense flame before exploding, while its pressure relief device activated itself after 22 minutes in the fire.

A comparison test of a hydrogen tank and a propane tank also demonstrated the integrity of the Tucson’s storage system, with the propane cylinder exploding long before the hydrogen tank succumbed.

Cold-weather starting issues, although not deadly, are still a matter of concern with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. However, Hyundai says it is finding solutions to this issue, noting its system has been proven to start at -25C, following extensive testing in a cold chamber and in real-world conditions in Sweden.

A fleet of 32 Tucson and Kia Sportage FCEVs has also been evaluated in a U.S. government testing program, accumulating a total of more than 835,000 km.

Obviously, an infrastructure to support hydrogen-fuelled vehicles is a big roadblock to any shift to this power source in the near future. Hyundai says its own fuelling stations in Korea (it hopes to have 13 on stream by the end of this year) are using hydrogen produced from a chemical process — and supplies can service about six vehicles a day. However, Kim says the practical supply for hydrogen is from renewable energy sources. By using by-product hydrogen, he says such supplies could easily sustain 500,000 FCEVs a year. “Developing the infrastructure is not that challenging in Korea,” he says.

FCEVs have a lot going for them. For starters, the only emission is water. Also, electric vehicles require lengthy charging times, while hydrogen vehicles can be refuelled in three minutes and have a considerably longer range.

Still, Kim emphasizes that neither is the perfect solution: “There’s room for both systems in our future.”